Education is key to building a sustainable future and the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly changed the way we learn. Digital learning has become the new normal but how can it be reinvented to stay relevant for a sustainable future?
As part of the Huawei Digital Talent Summit at the UNESCO World Higher Education Conference this week, the topic was explored by over 80 experts from the education sector including representatives from government, academia, industry, and UNESCO.
People now see higher education as a lifelong process in which they may engage at different stages of their life and career so due to the array of flexible options. As distance learning makes studies more independent and fragmented, short online courses and micro-credentials are becoming more and more popular.
People can quickly reskill themselves for new jobs, especially in digital domains. There are also increasing partnerships between enterprises and academia to help people get the professional training they need for the digital age.
Finding solutions to educational needs requires a collaborative approach. UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, Stefania Giannini explained that the profound disruption from the global pandemic may have created opportunities.
“It also acted as an accelerator of innovation in education with technology being the bridge to learning continuity for millions of students around the world. We now need to go the extra mile to bridge the global digital divide that left many behind and to integrate ICT based solutions into high education systems and programs. We need to make technology work for education and not the other way around.”
At Huawei, we’re trying to do our part. Via the Huawei ICT Academy, we are working with university partners to develop dedicated courses for ICT knowledge. We now have about 2,000 Huawei ICT Academies around the world. And we aim to train more than 1 million ICT professionals by 2024.
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The pandemic has also sped up digitalisation and made it clear that we need to improve digital skills among vulnerable groups and make sure no one is left behind in the digital world.
In Europe, for example, only one-quarter elderly have basic digital skills. As a result, the less connected elderly may have difficulties in getting essential goods and services in emergency situations such as food and medication during lockdowns.
We also need to address digital inequality. These dividers are even greater in remote and unconnected regions, where digital tools are not available. And even if people have the tools, they don’t have the skills to use them. We are actively working on bridging those gaps.
For example, Huawei’s TECH4ALL initiative is working with partners like UNESCO to promote digital inclusion. In places like Kenya, we’ve set up the DigiTruck project. It’s a mobile classroom providing green power, internet access, smart devices and digital skill training for the rural area people.
Digital technology also has the potential to rebalance the world’s educational resources. We should leverage digital technology to build a more collaborative, open, and vibrant education system. Universities in Asia have been leaders in this area recently. They are actively using technology to enhance their research and attract top talent.
To solve the problems of tomorrow, we need to leverage digital technology to match the world’s best minds with the best higher education resources. This will further facilitate technology advancements and promote global innovation.
But to truly make a difference, universities, corporations, and governments will have to work together and at this summit speakers from the education sector including, Markus González Beilfuss, undersecretary for Universities of the Government of Spain; Ivica Šušak, State Secretary, Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Croatia; Qin Changwei, Secretary-General, National Commission of the People’s Republic of China for UNESCO; and Li Ming, Director of UNESCO-ICHEI.
At Huawei, we believe collaboration is the best approach to innovation. We support universities around the world by providing funds and have established 60 labs devoted to basic tech research. We also want to encourage open academic exchange. Recently, we launched the Huang Danian Chaspark, an open online platform for discussion on the latest technology and innovation challenges.
This type of openness and collaboration is what the world needs right now. It will help us cultivate outstanding researchers and future leaders who can build a dynamic and innovative world economy.
Digital technology is making higher education more accessible than ever. We need to take this opportunity to build a sustainable and inclusive future for all.
Vincent Peng, Board Director and Senior Vice President, Huawei Technologies, Co., Ltd was speaking at the Huawei Digital Talent Summit at the UNESCO World Higher Education Conference, May 2022.
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Image credit: Huawei Technologies, Co.
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